okay preemptive media anaylsis of the robin goodbye scene. (paused just as it started)

this scene had to be sanji because of the skypeia flower action, because this arc is about mentally ill people and those that love them and sanji truly does fucking love robin. the reason it hits with sanji specifically is he occupies a level of "not manly" due to his relationships with women and wearing his own heart on his sleeve that he can be nothing but genuine, and there's an assumed naivety to that, (to some degree there is) but robin herself believes him (unlike nami) that isn't the problem here.

robin must face sanji (someone who does not hide his emotions when it comes to her) to face what she's going to do. much like the usopp "i should leave the crew" moment, it's the point of no return coming from a want to punish herself. one of my favourite things about sanji as a character, is his ability to show love in ways that are completely nontraditional for men, and he screams after her. it had to be him because he is emotionally intelligent enough to identify that loss and hurt in ways that any other character (besides nami) wouldn't be able to express in the same way. she must face unconditional love and reject it based on her own belief that she is unlovable.

theres the water river flowing between them and as sanji crosses it its too late